NEWS

Lord Pentland succeeds the Right Hon Lord Carloway who will be retiring from the post as head of Scotland’s judiciary on 3 February 2025. 

Lord Pentland has been one of Scotland’s Supreme Courts judges since 2008. He has presided over a number of high-profile criminal trials as well as significant civil cases, has been an appeal court judge since 2020, and was previously Solicitor General for Scotland as well as Chair of the Scottish Law Commission.

The Lord President, Lord Carloway said:

“I very much welcome the appointment of Lord Pentland as the next Lord President. Having presided over a number of high profile criminal and civil cases in recent years, he brings with him the skills and valuable experience required, and I have no doubt the judiciary will thrive under his leadership.

 “Lord Pentland is a former solicitor general for Scotland and, more recently, he has been at the forefront of promoting open justice, which included chairing a working group to establish livestreaming of the Inner House. This will be expanded in the near future to the criminal appeal court as part of the innovations to allow courts to become more accessible and transparent.

“I would like to thank the appointment panel for all their work and I anticipate a seamless transition to the new Lord President.”

Background

Lord Pentland has been a judge of Scotland’s Supreme Courts (the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary) since 2008. He has presided over a number of high-profile criminal trials as well as significant civil cases and has been an appeal court judge since 2020.

Between 2014 and 2018 he was chairman of the Scottish Law Commission, the country’s independent law reform body.

Lord Pentland was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1982 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1995. He served as an Advocate Depute (Crown prosecutor in the High Court) between 1991 and 1994.

In 1995, he was appointed Solicitor-General for Scotland and held this office until the general election in 1997. He then returned to practice at the Bar, specialising in commercial law and public law.

Earlier in his career, Lord Pentland was standing junior counsel to the Department of the Environment in Scotland. He also held appointments as Chairman of the Police Appeals Tribunal and as Chairman of the Appeal Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Between April 2001 and May 2002, he was Chairman of the Public Inquiry into a serious incident of limestone mining subsidence in the Gilmerton area of Edinburgh.

Appointment process

The process of selection for the Lord President is set out in the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 ("the 2008 Act"). In line with those provisions the First Minister established a selection panel and invited them to recommend individuals suitable for appointment.

The panel members were:

• Dr Lindsay Montgomery CBE (Chair of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland),
• Mr Paul Gray (Lay Member of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland),
• The Right Hon Lady Dorian (Lord Justice Clerk), and
• The Right Hon Lord Matthews (Inner House Judge of the Court of Session).